Corner bank for race courses



March 1, 1966 P. A. PLANTE 3,237,936

CORNER BANK FOR RACE COURSES Filed May 15, 1963 INVENTOR. Kai/2Z2; uZZfZa/zde BY i i a 7 HT YS United States Patent 3,237,936 CORNER BANK FUR RACE COURSES Patrick A. Plante, 798 Jerusaiem Road,

Cohasset, Mass. Filed May 15, 1963, Ser. No. 280,550 3 (:laims. (Cl. 2724) This invention pertains to corner banks for race tracks, particularly indoor tracks, and more especially to a portable corner bank which may be set up upon any suitable surface, for example the floor of a conventional gymnasinm thereby to make it possible to use such surface or floor as a foot race track.

comparatively few schools are able financially to provide an indoor running track, although foot racing is recognized as a most enjoyable competitive sport and of great value as an exercise.

While many schools have gymnasiums, often of ample floor area for conventional use, they are not usually suitable for foot racing because they seldom, if ever, are large enough to provide a straight-away course, and without suitable banks at the turns or corners a closed course is impractical, since, without a bank, the runner must slackenhis speed at each corner or sharp bend.

The present invention has for an object the provision of means whereby an ordinary gymnasium floor or other surface of substantial area may be temporarily modified to adapt it for foot racing. A further object is to provide a corner bank which may be arranged on an ordinary floor to define a turn in a race course laid out upon the floor, and with provision for temporarily anchoring it in the desired position of use. A further object is to provide a portable and preferably collapsible bank which, when set up, provides a strong and rigid race-course turn affording the desired banking slope, but which, when not in use, may be folded to facilitate storage and transportation.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be pointed out in the following more detailed description and by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary diagrammatic plan view showing one corner of a room with the portable bank of the present invention set up in the corner in proper relation to a race course which follows the walls of the room;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section, to larger scale, in a plane which approximately bisects the corner of the room, shown in FIG. 1, and showing the bank as set up for use, and also indicating in broken lines its appearance when folded;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the device, as it appears when folded, with the panel portion of the bank broken away to show the construction of the frame;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section substantially on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section, to larger scale, on the line 55 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary section on the line 66 of FIG. 5

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary elevation, to larger scale, party in section, showing a hinge connection between parts of the base of the supporting frame, and also cushioning members which rest upon the fioor; and

Patented Mar. 1, 1966 FIG. 8 is a fragmentary section illustrating one desirable construction of tread panel.

Referring to the drawings and, in particular, to FIG. 1, the character B indicates a corner bank embodying the present invention, and which is shown as resting upon the floor F at the corner of a room having the walls W intersecting at the corner C, and wherein the broken line L designates the general direction of travel of a runner using the race course. The bank B is shown as comprising the tread panel 10 which is of rigid material and whose exposed surface is of a character suitable to form the banking portion of the race course. For example, this panel 10 may be of wood, for instance plywood, or it may be of metal, in particular metal coated with a material, for example a textile fabric, a plastic, sheet rubber, or the like, to make it non-slippery, or it may, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, comprise two plies P of wood with an interposed ply R of foamed plastic or rubber.

As shown in FIG. 1, this panel 10 has a substantially rectilinear lower edge 11 which, as illustrated in FIG. 2, is desirably beveled so that the exposed tread surface will reach down substantially to the floor F on which the bank is supported. As shown, the panel also comprises an upper edge 13 which may, for example, be arcuate, as shown, with the opposite ends of the arc intersecting substantially straight parallel end edges 12. While this particular shape is not essential, it is desirable since it reduces weight as compared with a panel of uniform height from end-to-end.

The bank also comprises a panel-supporting frame (FIG. 3), desirably made from lengths of steel of such thickness or shape as to afford the requisite rigidity. The front member 14 is a rectilinear plate of a length such as to extend substantially from one end to the other of the lower part of the panel 10. The frame also comprises the upper or rear member 15, the downwardly divergent end members 17 and the parallel terminal members 18, all of the said members desirably being of angle section and rigidly united by welding or the like, while the front and rear members 14 and 15 are united at intervals by the rigid angle-bars 16. The several parts of this frame are provided at desired intervals with holes H (FIG. 3) for the reception of fastener elements such as wood screws whereby the panel 10 is rigidly and permanently secured to the frame.

The bank also comprises a base member desirably made of metal tubing thereby to reduce weight while providing the desired rigidity. As shown in FIG. 3, this base coniprises the rear member 19 whose central portion is substantially parallel to the front member 14 of the panelsupporting frame but which is bent to arcuate curvature at opposite ends, as shown at 20, the curved portions merging with parallel terminal members 21, the rear member thus being of shallow U-shape. The base also comprises a substantially rectilinear front member 22 of a length approximating that of the front member 14 of the panel-carrying frame. The parts 21 of the rear member of the base are permanently hinged to the tubular front member 22 by straps 23 (FIG. 7) which embrace the member 22 and are fixed to the member 21. The strap 23 is interposed between two resilient rings 24, for example of rubber or the like, which are secured to the tubular member 22 by pins 25. These resilient rings 24 not only serve to prevent the strap 23 from moving longitudinally of the member 22 but also constitute cushioning means to reduce the transmission of vibrations from the tread panel to the floor on which the device rests. The rear member 19 of the base is also connected to the member 22 by at least one rigid bar 25' whose opposite ends are hinged to the members 19 and 22 respectively, by straps 23 such as above described. Referring to FIG. 4, it may be noted that the lower end of the connecting bar 16 is welded to the upper edge of the plate 14 and that the plate 14, in turn, is welded directly to the front member 22 of the base. However, since the member 22 is connected to the rear member 19 of the base by the hinge straps 23, it is possible for the frame, comprising the parts 14 and 15, to be rocked up and down about the axis of the front member of the base while the front member 22 of the base rocks with the frame. Thus the frame, with the attached panel 10, may be swung upwardly from a folded, inoperative position, as shown in FIG. 2, to a position in which the exposed surface of the panel makes a substantial angle with the horizontal, for example, as here shown, an angle of the order of 30, although the device may be designed to provide a different angle in accordance with the amount of banking effect desired.

For holding the frame with its attached panel at the desired angle of inclination, one or more braces are provided, for example, as shown at 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30. Each of these rigid struts or braces is hinged to the base member 19 at its rear or lower end by connecting it to the member 19 by a hinge strap, such as the strap 23 above described, interposed between two resilient rings 24. These rings, distributed about the periphery of the base, provide a good cushioning effect, as above described, to reduce the transmission of vibrations from the tread member to the floor while, at the same time, acting to locate the several brace members at the desired position along the base member 19. Each of these brace members, for example the brace member 26 (FIGS. 5 and 6), and which may be of tubular metal, is flattened at its upper or free end, as shown at 31 (FIGS. 5 and 6) and, when in operative position, this flat end is disposed in a slot 32 in a block 33 welded to the member 15. The flattened part 31 of the brace member, the member 15, and the block 33 are provided with corresponding holes and, when the device is in use, a suitable fastener, here shown, by way of example, as a cotter pin 34 (FIG. 6) is passed through the holes thus releasably connecting the frame member to the strut. It will be understood that each of the several struts or braces is thus releasably connected to the frame member 15. When the several brace members are in operative position, as illustrated in FIG. 2, they collectively provide ample support for the panel 10 to withstand the shocks of use, but, by disconnecting the free ends of the brace member 26 from the angle member 15, the braces may be folded down and the panel dropped to inoperative position as shown in broken lines at 10a in FIG. 2. Thus, the device may be folded for convenience in storage or transportation but may readily be erected to place the tread panel in position for use. Obviously, braces of different lengths may be provided, whereby the angle of slope of the tread panel may be varied at will, or alternatively, braces of adjustable length may be provided.

The base members 19 and 22 may be provided with suitable means whereby the base member may be rigidly secured to the floor, for example they may be provided with openings for the reception of T-bolts K (as indicated in broken lines in FIG. 2) whose heads are designed to fit within T-plates countersunk into the floor.

It is further contemplated that the panel 10, with its supporting frame, might be arranged in an opening in the floor so that, when not in use, the upper surface of 4.- the panel 10 would be flush with the floor but, when in use, would be raised so as to dispose the surface of the panel at the desired inclined position. Under such circumstances, the base portion of the bank would be completely concealed when the device was not in use and problems of transportation and storage would be eliminated.

While the tread portion of the bank, as here shown, comprises a panel 10 fixed to a metal frame, it is contemplated that the panel and a stiffening frame therefor might be molded as a unit from suitable plastic, in particular a plastic reinforced with Fiberglas, and it is further contemplated that were it desired to make a bank of substantially greater dimensions than that herein indicated, the bank might be made in sections for ease in transportation with provision for connecting the sections together preparatory to use.

While one desirable embodiment of the invention has herein been disclosed by way of example, it is to be understood that the invention is broadly inclusive of any and all modifications falling within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a room having a horizontal floor and corners defined by intersecting vertical walls, a portable bank for use in providing said room with a course for indoor foot racing, said bank comprising a single rigid, substantially flat panel of a character appropriate to constitute the tread surface at a turn in the race course, said panel having a substantially straight lower edge designed to be disposed parallel to the floor and in close proximity thereto, the panel being of a shape and size such that, when said lower edge is arranged to extend diagonally across the corner of the room with the ends of the panel substantially contacting the respective walls which define said corner, the panel may slope upwardly and rearwardly into said corner so that its tread surface is disposed at a suitable angle to the horizontal to provide the desired banking effect as a runner rounds the corner turn of a race course laid out on the floor, an open frame attached to said panel, a base designed to rest upon the floor, means securing the base to the frame, and brace means for holding the frame with its attached panel at a suitable angle to the horizontal to provide the desired banking effect.

2. A corner bank according to claim 1, further characterized in that the means for securing the base to the frame comprises hinge devices whereby the frame, with its attached panel, may be moved from an inoperative folded position to an operative position at which the panel is inclined at such an angle to the horizontal as to provide the desired banking effect as the runner rounds the turn.

3. In combination, a room having a horizontal floor and corners defined by intersecting vertical walls, a portable bank for use in providing said room with a course for indoor foot racing, said bank comprising a single rigid panel of a character appropriate to constitute the tread surface at a turn in the race course, said panel having a substantially straight lower edge designed to be disposed parallel to the fioor and in close proximity thereto, the panel being of a shape and size such that, when said lower edge is arranged to extend diagonally across the corner of the room with the ends of the panel substantially contacting the respective walls which define said corner, the panel may slope upwardly and rearwardly into said corner so that its tread surface is disposed at a suitable angle to the horizontal to provide the desired banking effect as a runner rounds the corner turn of a race course laid out on the floor, said bank comprising a base including a rear member of shallow U-shape and a substantially rectilinear front member, said members being of tubular metal, a panel-supporting frame having 5 6 a rectilinear front member Which is rigidly connected to References Cited by the Examiner the front member of the base, hinge means connecting the ends of the U-shaped rear member of the base to the UNITED STATES PATENTS front member whereby the frame and the front member 1'384114 7/1921 Arnold 14-72 of the base may rock about the axis of the front member; 5 2144148 1/1939 Gross 273*1'5 at least one brace member hinged to the rear member 2449829 9/1948 Agren 14' 72 of the base and which is operative, by engagement with 2846703 8/1958 Adley 14 71 the frame, to hold the panel in operative position in FOREIGN PATENTS which it is inclined to the horizontal, and means whereby 10,584 of 1910 Gmat Britain.

the brace may be disconnected from the frame permitting 10 the frame to be folded down to inoperative positon. RICHARD C, PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION, A ROOM HAVING A HORIZONTAL FLOOR AND CORNERS DEFINED BY INTERSECTING VERTICAL WALLS, A PORTABLE BANK FOR USE IN PROVIDING SAID ROOM WITH A COURSE FOR INDOOR FOOT RACING, SAID BANK COMPRISING A SINGLE RIGID, SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT PANEL OF A CHARACTER APPROPRIATE TO CONSTITUTE THE TREAD SURFACE AT A TURN IN THE RACE COURSE, SAID PANEL HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT LOWER EDGE DESIGNED TO BE DISPOSED PARALLEL TO THE FLOOR AND IN CLOSE PROXIMITY THERETO, THE PANEL BEING OF A SHAPE AND SIZE SUCH THAT, WHEN SAID LOWER EDGE IS ARRANGED TO EXTEND DIAGONALLY ACROSS THE CORNER OF THE ROOM WITH THE ENDS OF THE PANEL SUBSTANTIALLY CONTACTING THE RESPECTIVE WALLS WHICH DEFINE SAID CORNER, THE PANEL MAY SLOPE UPWARDLY AND REARWARDLY INTO SAID CORNER SO THAT ITS TREAD SURFACE IS DISPOSED AT A SUITABLE ANGLE TO THE HORIZONTAL TO PROVIDE THE DESIRED BANKING EFFECT AS A RUNNER ROUNDS THE CORNER TURN OF A RACE COURSE LAID OUT ON THE FLOOR, AND OPEN FRAME ATTACHED TO SAID PANEL, A BASE DESIGNED TO REST UPON THE FLOOR, MEANS SECURING THE BASE TO THE FRAME, AND BRACE MEANS FOR HOLDING THE FRAME WITH ITS ATTACHED PANEL AT A SUITABLE ANGLE TO THE HORIZONTAL TO PROVIDE THE DESIRED BANKING EFFECT. 